The Drummers Keep On Drumming
by moonswirl
Summary: Gleekathon, day sixty-three: 12 Days of Gleekmas, Day 12: Finn had a plan to get money for Quinn and his baby... only he knows it's not his now.


_Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a second cycle, then a third, which is ending today! Tomorrow starts cycle 4! :D_

_I wanted to do something Christmas-y, but not overly so, but then the song was perfect for this. So the stories in and of themselves aren't Christmas-themed, just the thing that inspired them is ;) You'll see :)_

_So presenting... **The 12 Days of Gleekmas - Day 12:** Finn + "Twelve Drummers Drumming"_

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**"The Drummers Keep On Drumming"  
Finn**

He'd actually gotten used to having her there. After she'd left – her choice, though he hadn't exactly stopped her – it had then taken time for him to get used to not having her there. The arrangement had originally been out of necessity, after her father had kicked her out. But in living together, they spent more time together and so they'd grown closer to one another. The first night she was gone, he hadn't even gone back in his bed. He'd slept on the air mattress his mother had bought the day after Quinn's arrival. The mattress had been there, on the ground by his bed ever since.

Things hadn't gotten so much back to normal yet. There'd be reminders all around of… what had happened, what had been done to him… taken from him. He wasn't ready to accept all of it just yet. More than anything, he wanted to move on. The problem was the world wouldn't let him. It'd always come back. It wasn't even just the regular things, like seeing Quinn… and Puck… around school, or town… It was the rest…

He'd been lost for a while as to what he was supposed to do to get money for all these pregnancy bills and other things Quinn needed. His first achievement was the job Rachel had helped him find. That hadn't lasted. Eventually he'd been found out. It was a miracle he wasn't sued. Still, it was shortly after getting the job that he'd found out about the contest.

A music store was having a competition, for young drummers. The prize was a new drum set… or its value in cash. When he'd seen the amount, he'd jumped to sign up. This would really help with the money issue. He'd show that it would work out. The actual competition wasn't for a few weeks, but he had his job in the meantime. He had that time to practice, better his skills.

Practice had decreased after he'd found out the truth, after he'd lost the job… He forgot he'd even signed up.

When they called to confirm his spot, it took him a moment to remember what they were talking about. When he did, he blanked. He must have spoken something to the essence of 'yes,' because the woman said she would see him on Saturday and hung up. He sat at his drum set, still holding the phone.

He didn't know what he was supposed to do… what was the point to even participate anymore? It wasn't his baby, his responsibility anymore, right? He still felt in some part of him like… he should go…

Saturday rolled around, and he woke up with a voice telling him to go… Just for the fun of it. He needed to have something that wasn't going to involve anyone he couldn't make sustained eye contact with.

He arrived at the store and signed in. There were twelve contestants. From what they told him, there would be four rounds, winding down to the last two standing for the top prize.

He breezed through the first round, then got past the second. Round three left four of them standing, vying for the two spots in the final round. His motivation – wherever it came from – kept him going, confident that he could make it to the end.

The first name called to move on to round four was his biggest opposition, so he wasn't surprised. He heard his name called next, which pulled a smile out of him. It also twisted his nerves up good, so he took a few deep breaths.

The last round was a blur. He wasn't too aware of his opponent's performance… or his own, for that matter. When he stepped back, he looked around… waited…

He heard his name, and it took a few seconds, some handshakes and pats on the back for him to react. He was in a good place, isolated from everything that…

They asked him to make his choice – the money or the drums.

He could have taken the drums. They were brand new, well made… his own set was older, but it was still in relatively good condition, he didn't need the new set… Quinn needed the money.

The thought had jumped out and gotten a hold of him, and from that point, no other reasoning was able to win out. Before long, he was walking out of the store with a cheque in hand. Once he had the cash in hand, in an envelope he sealed up, he got in the car, driving to Quinn's new home.

He still felt it in him that she was his… his daughter. He knew she wasn't, not biologically, but he still had the need to look out for her. That's what this was, that was why he'd done it, he knew it.

When he got to the door, he took out a pen and wrote on the envelope 'for the baby.' He didn't write it was from him – not thinking Quinn would know his handwriting anyway. He slipped it through the mail slot and walked away.

THE END


End file.
